International Olympic Committee (IOC): Strip Sochi of the 2014 Winter Games

In June Russian President, Vladimir Putin made it a crime to “promote homosexuality or non-traditional relationships” in Russia, effectively criminalising homosexuality. This has been met with a global outcry.

Next year, Russia is due to hold the winter Olympic games. To me and thousands of others around the world, this must not be allowed to happen. The Olympics is about excellence, tolerance and respect - to hold the winter Games in Russia with in the current political climate of hate toward LGBTQ people is not compatible with those values.

It is not fair to ask athletes who have trained so hard to carry the burden of asking them to boycott next year's event. I am calling directly on the International Olympic Committee to move the games from Russia to Vancouver, Canada.

Vancouver was the last host of the winter games, so the facilities are ready to go. As a previous host it also knows how to project manage the events. If this isn’t possible then they could have the events in different countries.

The fight for freedoms for LGBTQ people has come a long way in recent times - but these new laws in Russia is a terrible and retrograde step. The world has a duty to stand together and show Russia that we will not stand by while they do this to their own citizens and visitors. Moving the 2014 Winter Olympics will show them that what they are doing is wrong

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International Olympic Committee (IOC): Strip Sochi of the 2014 Winter Games